In the mid 6th century, Buddhism was brought from China to Japan via Korea. At first, Japanese leaders adopted Buddhism into their politics and used it to rule the nation. Soon the teachings of Buddhism became a moral standard. And at the same time, they naturally harmonized Buddhism with traditional Shintoism (native religion of Japan). In the 13th century, sophisticated Zen priests were invited to Japan and they spread the art, literature, and advanced scientific knowledge of China. Japanese priests absorbed all of it, and developed a unique Japanese style Buddhism over the centuries. As a result, these religious concepts have been broadly incorporated into the lifestyle of the Japanese people. In this series, I would like to introduce six special priests from old China who had a great influence on Japanese Buddhism between the 8th and 17th centuries.

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Author:Tomoko Kamishima
Japan Silhouette features beautiful things, touching scenery, and interesting buildings of historical importance—I would like to guide you to many such places through my articles. Please enjoy all “things Japanese” together with me.